On one side or the other of Belgium, Lewis Askey remains at the front! After his solid opening weekend, the British rider once again showed off his good condition on Tuesday at the Ename Samyn Classic. After a lively, yet controlled race, the 23-year-old grabbed fifth place in a small-group sprint in Dour. The victory went to Mathieu van der Poel.
Forty-eight hours after completing the first “Flemish” races of the season, Lewis Askey took part this Tuesday in the first Walloon event of the year: the Ename Samyn Classic. Also, after two solid performances on Saturday and Sunday (10th and 16th, editor’s note), the British rider had a clear leadership within the Groupama-FDJ cycling team for the day’s race. “The team was entirely focused on Lewis, who was our best card, both in the event that it finished in a sprint and in the event that it was an open race,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “We knew he was in good condition, and that he would be able to follow the best. Everyone had to support him, with very specific tasks for everyone.” Halfway through the race, the peloton reached the final circuit of Dour, around thirty kilometres long and including six small cobbled sectors. The morning breakaway of eight men was able to cover the first lap in the lead, before the peloton became more active. Mathieu van der Poel especially made a first attack sixty kilometres from the finish, everything came back together a few moments later, then a group managed to go clear forty kilometres from the finish, with Lewis Bower in there.
“When the momentum is good, everyone feels involved”, Frédéric Guesdon
Together with eight riders, the young New Zealander, who was competing in his first European race of the season, never had more than a twenty-second lead. “It was good that Lewis was in front, but the race didn’t really open up”, explained Frédéric. “Everyone must have been a bit afraid of Van der Poel, and there were quite a few sprinters, which also tends to block the race. It was hard to make a difference, and everyone got it into their heads that it was going to finish with a sprint. We had also told Lewis [Askey] that there was no point in attacking if there were still a lot of teammates and few moves, and that he had to stay focused on the sprint. If we had noticed that the race had opened up early enough, he would have been active, but as long as it remained together, we maintained the sprint option”. “It was a race with a lot of stress because of the sectors and the small roads,” explained the British rider. “The team trusted me for the sprint after the condition I had shown on the opening weekend. The team rode well to keep it together and I didn’t need to waste energy. They also brought me back up when I lost my position in the peloton a few times, so thank you to them.”
Despite a few attacks, the peloton never really split up, and Lewis Bower’s group was caught fifteen kilometres from the finish. Groupama-FDJ then positioned at the head of the pack to control the situation and place their leader until the last cobbled sector located three kilometres from the finish line. “They motivated each other, and when the momentum is good, everyone feels involved,” said Frédéric. “It’s great when it works like that. Up until the last three kilometres, Lewis still needed his teammates, and Cyril especially until the last kilometre. Everyone did their job, and even more.” Around twenty riders finally came out from the last sector to tackle the slight uphill portion leading to the finish line. The fight for position proved quite hectic. “I targeted Van der Poel’s wheel in the final, but like many others, I didn’t manage to keep it,” said Lewis. “He had a decent position for the sprint and then it came down to the legs,” added Frédéric. “It was a sprint for strong men, as usual here.”
“I’m happy to have rewarded the team’s work a little”, Lewis Askey
Although he was unable to compete with the Dutchman in the final straight, Lewis Askey found himself fighting for the podium until the final metres, before settling for fifth place on the day. “I’m happy to have rewarded the team’s work a little, even if there is more to come”, he said. “I felt the body was a bit tired today after the weekend, so I’m still happy to have got this result”. “Lewis is starting his fourth year with us, he’s reaching maturity, he’s now here to get the best possible results, and that’s what we expect of him”, concluded Frédéric. “He deserves to win one, as he’s been close for a while. In any case, we’ve been preparing him for that purpose. After the Strade Bianche, he will compete in the Nokere Koerse, the Grand Prix de Denain and Cholet-Pays de Loire, races which could suit him”.
